Guide for sliding panels, particularly sliding roofs for motor vehicles



July 20, 1937- J. KING 2,087,670 GUIDE FOR SLIDING ANELS, PART'ICULARLYSLIDING ROOFS FOR MOTOR VEHIFCLES Filed July 23, 1936 unvslmllll a nl @0NIW 11 l, l, m Ilum -ll/ Il :\I::.:::}i 1

"IIIII J LQ I #-1 n 19 {H1-"ATTI l M f- VW 1% Wfl Patented July 20, 1937UNITED STATES G PANELS, PARTICU- GUIDE. ForJ sLIDIN LARLY SLIDING ROOFSFOR MOTOR VE- HICLES John King, London, England Application July 23,1936, Serial No.. 92,072

In Great Britain July 4, 1935 3 claims. (ci. 296-137) This applicationcorresponds to the application of John King, Serial No. 19148/35, whichWas led in Great Britain on July 4, 1935.

This invention comprises improvements in or relating to guides forsliding panels, particularly sliding roofs for motor vehicles.

It is known to provide a sliding roof for a motor Vehicle with a panelwhich runs. on metal channel section or like runways which are so shapedthat when the roof reaches the closed position the sliding panel can belifted so as to corne up flush withV a iixed panel beneath which up` tothat moment it had been sliding. This construction necessitates that theguides on which the roof runs should either be bent upward permanentlyor should be flexible so that they can accommodate themselves to theupward movement. In the latter case some form of cam device is necessaryin order to push the roof upwardly. In the formerl case the upward bendof the runway itself may act as the earn or ramp. rIhe present inventionrelates to a sliding roof for a motor vehicle or like panel of the kinddescribed.

The means for guiding the sliding panel upon the runways must thereforebe capable of engagement with the runways not only along thesubstantially straight horizontal portion thereof but also at theupturned portion, and it has previously been proposed in United StatesPatent No. 2,007,865'to connect the sliding panel to the runway by meansof pivoted runners which are free to turn so that they keep parallelwith the section of the runway with which they are engaged. The presentinvention offers an alternative construction to the pivoted runners.

The present invention comprises in a motorV vehicle sliding roof or likepanel of the kind described,V the combination with the sliding panel,and iXed runways having upper and lower guiding surfaces for guiding therear edge thereof, of runners fixed tothe slidingA panel e-ach of whichis provided with two abutments` to engage, one the upper and the otherthe lower of the guiding surfaces of the runway, the two abutments beingdisplaced relatively to one'another along the runway so that they do notlie directly one over the other and the space between the abutments attheir point of nearest approach being such as to permit of the necessaryangular deviation of the runway at the point where the panel is liftedflush with the fixed portion of the roof.

One construction in accordance with the invention is illustrated by wayof example in the accompanying drawing, in which:- Figure l is a planshowing a portion of a sliding panel and runways of a roof with thefabric coverings removed so that the working parts may be seen; I

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the parts illustrated inFigure 1, but .showing the coverings of the panels in place, the slidingpanel of the roof being partly retracted;v Y

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but. showing the sliding panelfully drawnV forward to its.

closed position;

Figure 4 kis a transverse section upon the line 4-|3 of Figure 2 lookingin the direction of the arrows; i Y

Figure 5 is a detail. Y

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, II represents the upper edge of the cantrails at the sides of the roof between which there isan opening I2 inwhich works-a sliding panel I3. The opening I2 isV spanned by a crossmember I4 ,beneathY 'the sliding panel, which cross member forms therear edge of the part of the opening I2 which is .closed by the yslidingpanel when the latter is fully drawn forward. Above the sliding panel I3there is another thin metal cross member` I5 around which is stretchedfabric I6 which forms a xed panel closing in the rear portion of theroof. Side members Il' extend longitudinally beneath the fixedpanel YIPSat a lower level than the sliding panel I3 and'support inwardly facingchannel members I8 as best seen in Figure 4. The channel members I8 haveinwardly projecting upper flanges I9 which constitute'runways havingupper and lower guiding surfaces and, as

will be seen from Figure 2, therunways I9 arecurved upwardly asindicated at 2 at their front v end, just in front of and beneath thecross member I5. Y

The opening beneath the sliding panel which is terminated bythe crossVmember I4 is surrounded by an upstanding tray 2I of channel sectionmaterial which serves as a drainage channel to catch any rain whichmayleak in through the sides of the sliding panel I3. The sides of K thetray 2| which run parallel to the direction of movement of the slidingpanel I3 have flanges 22 which co-nstitute runways for supporting the`front end of the panel. The panel I3 engages With these runways 22 bythe usualsliding elements and'locking devices, which are not shown inthe drawing.

The rear-edge of the panel I3 is constituted by a cross member 23 and tothis is securedlat each n tru-l corner, by screws 24, a bracket 25forming part of a runner (shown in detail in Figure for working on oneof the runways i9. The runner consists of the flat plate portion and twoprojecting lugs 26, 2l at the end of the plate 25. The lug 2S is in thesame plane as the plate 25 and the lug 2l is bent upwardly and thenagain bent so as to lie parallel with the plate 25 but at a higherlevel. The two lugs 25, 2l are covered with sheet vulcanized fibre pads28, 29 which are riveted in place.

As can be seen from the drawing the lower face of the upper pad 28 liesina plane which is slightly above the upper face of the lower pad 29,the distance between these two faces ina -vertical direction being equalto the thickness of the runway fiange i9. The runner is screwed, as bestseen in Figure 4, to the end of the cross member 23 so that the lugs 26,2i lie respectively beneath and above the ange of the runway I9 and thevulcanized fibre pads 28, V29 fit the `flange of the runway without anyshake or looseness. Owing to the fact, however, that the Itwo pads arenot directly over one another, the lowermost pad 29 being furtherforward than the upper pad 28, the

two pads are able to accommodate the bend 2E! at the front end of therunway i9 and to permit the panel i3 to rise up the runway when it ismoved forward into the position shown in Figure 3, where the panel isclosed. The panel I3 in this position is lifted by the bend 2@ of therunway so as to be flush on its upper surface with the fixed panel i5and this is accomplished without having any moving parts to the runner25 and without permitting any undesirable play in an up or downdirection when the runner is engaging the horizontal portion of therunway I8. Consequently the roof does not rattle at intermediatepositions of its movement and there are no loose or movable parts torequire careful tting or increase the oost of construction.

Felt or other soft material could be used instead of vulcanized fibrefor the pads 28, 29. In any case a non-metallic material is preferableto metal in these parts, as metal would tend to rattle unless very wellfitted. Although the invention has been illustrated in the drawing asapplied to that particular construction where the front ends of therunways form rigid ramps 2U, the invention is equally applicable tocases where the ramps for lifting the panel i3 flush with the fixedportion i6 of theroof are separate from the runways i9 and the frontends of the runways are merely bent or made flexible in order to conform with the shape of the ramps. v

The channel-shaped runways I9 may be reversed so as to face outwardly ifdesired, the runners being modified to correspond.

Although the terms upper and lower are used in the claims to describethe faces of the v runway and the panels are said to be lifted, it

will be understood that these expressions are used in a relative sense.'Ihe invention may be employed for a sliding panel which is vertical, inwhich case the position of all the parts will still be relativelysimilar to that of the horizontal roof herein described. V

I claim:-

1. The combination with a sliding panel, a xed panel behind which thesliding panel is adapted to slide, and xed runways having upper andlower guiding surfaces for guiding the rear edge of the sliding panel,which guiding surfaces are curved upwardly adjacent their forward endsto lift the sliding panel flush with the fixed panel when fullywithdrawn therefrom, of runway-engaging means xed to the sliding panel,said runway engaging means having an upper and a lower abutment mountedsubstantially immovably with respect to the sliding panel for engagingrespectively with the upper and lower guiding surfaces of the runway,the abutment adapted to engage with the upper guiding surface of therunway being displaced to the rear with respect to the abutment adaptedto engage with the lower surface of the runway, in such manner that theabutments bear against the upper and lower surfacesrespectively of boththe straight and curved sections of the runway when the sliding panel ismoved therealong.

, 2. The combination with a sliding panel, a fixed panel behind whichthe sliding panel is adapted to slide, and vfixed runways having upperand lower guiding surfaces for guiding the rear edge of the slidingpanel, which guiding surfaces are curved upwardly adjacent their forwardends to lift the sliding panel flush with the xed panel when fullywithdrawn therefrom, of runwayengaging means fixed to the sliding panel,said runway-engaging means having an upper and a lower abutment mountedsubstantially immovably with respect'to the sliding panel and eachabutment having a fiat surface for engaging respectively with the upperand lower guiding surfaces of the runway, the abutment adapted to engagewith the upper guiding surface of the runway being displaced to the rearwith respect to the abutment adapted lto engage with the lower surfaceof the runway, in such manner that the abutments bear against the upperand lower surfaces respectively of both the straight and curved sectionsof the runway when the sliding panel is moved therealong.

3. The combination with a sliding panel, a

fixed panel behind which the sliding panel is` adapted to slide, andfixed runways having upper and lower 'guiding surfaces for guiding oneend ofthe sliding panel, which guiding surfaces are curved to lift thesliding panel flush with the fixed panel when fully withdrawn therefrom,of runway-engaging means fixedto the sliding panel and including'twoabutments mounted substantially immovably with respect to the slidingpanel, said abutments adapted to engage, one the upper and the other thelower of the guiding surfaces of the runway, said abutments snuglyreceiving the fixed runway when the sliding panel is moved todisengagevthe abutments from the curved portion ofthe runway, the two abutmentsbeing displaced relatively to one another along the runway, with theabutment adapted to engage the upper guiding surface being displaced tothe rear with respect to the abutment adapted to engage the lowerguiding surface, and the space between the abutments at their point ofnearest approach being such asy to permit of the necessary angulardeviation of the runway at the point where the Sliding panel is liftedVflush with the fixed panel.

, JOHN KING.

